Sonje Ayiti
The mission of Sonje Ayiti is to uplift the Haitian community through education, economic development, and health promotion, and provide Haitians the tools to help themselves.
Kathleen Kool
P&G Alumni Grant Champion
Kathleen Kool
27 years with P&G in Finance and General Mgmt; North and Latin America
Additional (3) Alumni involvement from Debbie Kokoruda, Benjamin Au and Mei Lin Khoo.
Katie Kool and her husband, Frank, have been involved with Sonje Ayiti Organization (SAO) since March 2012. They wanted to help to make a sustainable difference in the lives of the people of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and they believed the most effective way to do this was by working with a local, on the ground partner. Katie and Frank began their work with SAO focused on education, raising over $200,000 for SAO to buy land and build a Pre-K through 6th grade school. Katie and Frank have continued raising the operating funds of $150,000 to support the school each year. In 2013, Katie became the volunteer Finance Director for SAO and still serves in this capacity. She also sits on the SAO Board of Directors, as does Frank, who serves as the Secretary.
In her letter of endorsement, Katie writes, “I absolutely believe that the Village Savings and Loan Association project will bring an excellent return on investment. It is a proven model that provides the critical combination of access to capital with practical business training. The Sonje Ayiti team understands the participants and the communities where they operate and have a track record of delivering results.”
The Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) provides participants access to affordable capital and education needed to sustainably support themselves and their families. A VSLA is a group of people in a defined community who pool their funds together to make and take small loans ranging from one to six months in duration at low interest rates. At the end of a 6-to-12 month cycle, the accumulated savings and accrued interest are distributed back to the members. The members of the VSLA organize into a General Assembly and a Leadership Committee. The General Assembly is composed of all members and it elects the 5-member Leadership Committee that sets regulations, approves credit applications, and gives authorization to disburse funds. Uniquely, the VSLA structure creates solidarity and interdependence, and helps create a trusted community in which participants support one another. At the same time, it provides training on financial literacy and how to effectively run a small business. SAO has established 48 VSLA’s in North and Northeast Haiti. Women comprise 85% of the VSLA participants to date.
The $22,000 PGAF grant will contribute to the training of as many as 1500 individuals and impact as many as 6000 family/community members. Grant funds will help expand the 48 existing VSLA’s to new participants and start 2 additional VSLA’s in the city of Limonade. The PGAF award will be used to fund the Specialist who oversees the entire VSLA program, an Administrative Assistant, two case managers who facilitate workshops and training sessions, and 5 Community Coaches who hold weekly coaching and training sessions with the VSLA members, some logistics expenses and materials and training related equipment.
One of the transformative programs within Sonje Ayiti is the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), which empowers individuals like Samuel Saint-Amour to overcome financial obstacles. Samuel’s testimony highlights the impact of VSLA in providing access to financial resources without the burdensome requirements of traditional banking systems. Through VSLA, members can invest in their livelihoods and support their families without the need for guarantors or collateral.